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"I love to be comfortable, but I also love to play up the glamour." It's no secret that Jessica Simpson has plenty of glamour in her life. She's a singer, an actress, and a fashion designer, and her journey into fame started early. When she was only sixteen, she signed with Columbia Records for a recording contract. Her debut album was released in 1999, and worldwide it sold more than four million copies. Her second album came out in 2001, and she took a more mature persona and image for that release. The album went gold, and she had a second top-20 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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In 2002, Siimpson married Nick Lackey. The couple had dated for four years, and after their marriage they starred in Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (2003-2005). The show ran on MTV and took a look at both their marriage and their careers. It was a pop culture hit, and soon Simpson and her new husband were basically household names. By November of 2005 the marriage was in disrepair, and Simpson filed for divorce in December of that same year. She was not able to reconcile with Lachey. But she didn't stop working during that time, with her third album coming out in 2003 and a Christmas album in 2004.

Where and How Did Jessica Get Her Start?

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Jessica has said that, "It really is about the heart of a woman that makes her beautiful." While that may be very true, Simpson's looks and voice also get her noticed. She was born in Abilene, Texas, and her mother was a homemaker. Her rather was both a Baptist youth minister and a psychologist. She has a younger sister named Ashlee, who has also found fame. Simpson went to J.J. Pearce High School, but in 1997 she dropped out due to the demands of her career. She went through distance learning at Texas Tech High School the following year to earn her GED.

Because of her strong faith and growing up around the church due to her father's job, she started singing in the choir as a child. At eleven years old, she realized that she wanted to be a successful singer. She auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club when she was 12 and made it to the semi-final round But was not chosen. She went back to singing in the choir, and the head of a Christian musical label discovered her. She auditioned and was signed immediately. She toured and started an album, but eventually had to stop touring and the record label filed for bankruptcy.

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A limited pressing of the album was still released, funded by Simpson's grandmother, and it was sent to producers and labels. That landed her more auditions, and the head of Columbia Records liked what she had to offer. She was a fresh face, different than some of her peers, and could sing well. He signed her to the label and her father became her manager. Her mother was her stylist, and at a party she met Nick Lachey. The two soon started up a romantic relationship that ultimately led to their marriage four years later.

Life Beyond Marriage and Music

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"I respect knowledge of the psyche. I would be a therapist if I weren't an entertainer. " While that may be true, fans all over the world would miss her entertainment. In addition to continuing her musical career, and after her divorce from Lachey, Simpson moved into the creation of a clothing line and started acting in movies. Her film debut was as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). While critics didn't seem to care for the film, fans were happy with it and it make more than $111 million around the world. From that point she moved on with another studio album -- her fifth -- and more movie roles.

Her fifth album didn't do as well as the others had, and the move Employee of the Month (2006) also failed to perform well. Simpson started dating John Mayer and then Cowboy's quarterback Tony Romo. Both relationships ultimately ended, and in 2007 Simpson appeared in the film Blonde Ambition with Luke Wilson. It was released in Texas and then on home media, but not throughout the US in theaters. In 2008, she launched her first scent and it was a commercial and critical success. Since 2010, Simpson has focused more on becoming a businesswoman and her second marriage.

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She married a retired NFL tight end named Eric Johnson in 2014, and the couple has three children. During that same time, Simpson was in the VH1 documentary The Price of Beauty (2010). The series was slated to return in 2011, but never did. She also has a line of bedding and draperies, along with a signature fragrance and a line of maternity clothing. It's clear that Simpson has come a long way from singing in the church choir, and she'll likely continue to invent herself and everything she has to offer to the entertainment world well into the future.